CARICOM Secretary General mum on controversy over her re-appointment, future

Last Updated on Saturday, 28 March 2026, 20:35 by Writer

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett on Friday afternoon deflected mounting concerns about her appointment for a second term, just hours after the Trinidad and Tobago government said that was neither on the agenda of last month’s summit of regional leaders nor was it discussed.

Shortly after attending the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between Belize and Guyana on strengthening cooperation and collaboration in the forest sector at Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Barnett referred questions about her appointment to CARICOM Chairman, St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew.

“No, no, Sir. You don’t need to ask me, you need to ask the Chairman. I don’t participate in those discussions. Those discussions are held among the leaders,” she told Demerara Waves Online News before the question was put to her completely.

Asked for a reaction to concerns that were being raised about her appointment, she said, “I don’t have any concerns.”

Further probed on whether, she believed she should step down, the CARICOM Secretary General opted to remain silent.

CARICOM only knew about Dr Barnett’s continuation in office on March 25 through a one-sentence press release by the CARICOM Chairman that “the required majority” of regional leaders “agreed to the reappointment” of Dr Barnett for a second term from August, 2026.

Earlier on Friday, Trinidad and Tobago’s foreign minister Sean Sobers told his country’s Parliament in a statement, authorised by cabinet, that although the current term of the CARICOM Secretary-General was due to conclude on August 14, 2026, a mere five months away, no formal communication on that had so far been circulated to any member state.

He believed that that issue can still be placed on the agenda of the CARICOM Summit scheduled to be held in St. Lucia from July 5 to 8, 2026. 

Mr Sobers said his government was concerned by the announcement of Dr Barnett’s reappointment for a second five-year term.

He emphasised that the transparency and legality with which any organisation or body operates and makes decisions are fundamental to its credibility and reputation.

Mr Sobers also told his country’s parliament that citizens across CARICOM must have confidence in a manner in which all organs of the regional grouping operate.

He said CARICOM must operate transparently and in keeping with the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.

“Accordingly, the surreptitious nature in which the Secretary-General of CARICOM is allegedly to have been reappointed has done irreparable harm to the institution,” he said.

The Trinidad and Tobago foreign minister said Dr Barnett’s proposed appointment was not placed on the agenda of the CARICOM summit held from 24-27 February 2026 in St Kitts and Nevis that was circulated on January 30, 2026.

He said Dr Barnett’s proposed reappointment was also not discussed by the meeting of the Community Council, the second highest decision-making body in CARICOM, which he attended on the February 25.

Further, Mr Sobers said the CARICOM Secretary General’s reappointment was not discussed during the plenary session of the conference which Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar attended.

The Trinidad and Tobago Foreign Minister further deemed as “interesting” that that subject was not mentioned at the CARICOM summit’s closing press conference hosted by the Chairman of CARICOM on February 27 or the joint communiqué.

Mr Sobers added that “astoundingly, there is no mention of any decision being taken regarding the reappointment of the Secretary-General contained in the summary of confirmed decisions circulated by the CARICOM Secretariat” on March 2.

After the Foreign Minister’s statement, Trinidad and Tobago’s Opposition Leader, Pennelope Beckles-Robinson asked whether or not he was making it abundantly clear that Trinidad and Tobago was never invited in any form whether by email or phone to that meeting in which the Secretary-General was picked.

Mr Sobers replied: “I emphatically put on the record to the Honorable Member of ARIMA that Trinidad and Tobago was not invited via email, telephone, or in person to that meeting where that particular decision was made.”

Despite grave reservations about the reappointment process of the CARICOM Secretary General, Minister Sobers said Trinidad and Tobago remained “committed to the revitalisation of CARICOM, particularly the operations of the CARICOM Secretariat, to ensure it is fit for purpose and addresses the needs of the people of the region.”